Fans have been riveted by Baptiste, the spin-off show to The Missing which focuses on the original series' brilliant detective, Julien Baptiste. In the new series, Julien is determined to locate the whereabouts of Natalie, a girl reported missing by her uncle, Edward Stratton, in Amsterdam. Of course, nothing is ever so simple, and Julien is brought into the city's underworld and connections to sex trafficking operations. Helping the detective is Martha Horchner, who is played by Barbara Sarafian. Here's everything you need to know about the character…
Who is Martha Horchner?
Martha is an ex-girlfriend of Julien's who has since become Chief of Police in Amsterdam, and draws on him to assist in the investigation when she discovers that he is spending time in the city. However, the highly intelligent police officer has secrets of her own – secrets that involve Julien. Speaking about their relationship, Barbara said: "Martha had a relationship with Julien a long time ago when they were partners on a job. She loved him very much and he loved her too but it didn’t work out. Julien now has a new life, a new family and she had that too. She has a family but she is still a bit bitter about the break-up, apparently."
Baptiste: Everything you need to know about the new BBC One drama
Throughout the show, it is revealed that Martha's son Niels is actually Julien's son, but that she kept their biological relationship a secret. In fact, Julien only discovers the truth when his son mentions that he too had suffered from a brain tumour, and has the same extremely rare blood type as the detective. Speaking about her character's son, Barbara said: "She worries about him like every mother would. She looks out for him but she is afraid to show that, so she does it sneakily. He tries to push Martha away, but in fact he is worried about her too and there is a symbolism between both of them and their relationship. The energy they have is beautiful and it is seen in the office as well as at home. They have a cocoon just them too, which is very vulnerable."
READ: Who is the actor who plays Baptiste?
Martha's plot twist on Baptiste
In episode five, Martha becomes one of the suspects behind the corruption behind the investigation. Baptiste begins to realise that the only person who could have known where the murdered Claire and her partner were was Martha, and that she could have traced his call while he was there – but is his theory accurate? However, fans on Twitter had other ideas, with one writing: "Hmm... why would he really want to get close to her? The finger is pointing at Martha, but my money is on Niels being the corrupt one!" Another person added: "I'm coming out now & saying the mole in the Dutch cops is Martha & Baptiste's son." The truth will be revealed on Sunday 24 March at 9pm on BBC One.
